Our poster tells us that we walk past myriad story ideas every day. It's only the good writers who actually see five or six of them. Maybe the quote should have added...and write the story. Seeing the stories around us and acting upon it are two distinct things.
Only recently, I happened onto possible story ideas, or essay topics. A few of them are still swirling in my mind off and on.
We happened to talk to a Lutheran pastor at a funeral. He was a black man who told us he had been a Muslim until 8 years ago. If only we had had time to listen to his whole story of how that came to be. But a good writer could take the bit and expand it into a piece of fiction.
Only yesterday at lunchtime, I waited just outside a restaurant door for Ken, who was parking the car. A man in his 40s walked up, noticed me and then Ken approaching. He said, "Are you guys on a date?" I said, "We are, and it's not even Friday night." As he held the door for us, he smiled and replied, "I think that is soooo sweet." Could it be the base of a story? Of course.
Ken needed to purchase a new suit, so we went to a favorite men's store in a Kansas City suburb yesterday. The salesman was most helpful and congenial. In the space of the time it took to try on a suit, have alterations marked and ties purchased, we learned a great deal about the salesman, and, in turn, he found out a lot about the two of us. There were a few things within the conversation that could be used in writing a story.
I visited a friend in the hospital one day last week. I stayed around 15 minutes, but what I learned about her and the reason she was hospitalized could have turned into a story.
Tomorrow, we are having company for dinner. One of the Czech students we hosted several years ago when she studied at Kansas State University is in town for a visit. She is bringing her fiance with her. The situation itself is the basis for a story, and I'm sure there will be more in our conversation tomorrow evening.
Make a trip to your local library, and I'm willing to bet that you'll see a story among the others in the building, maybe even several. What you see and hear can trigger story ideas.
The key to all this is to be observant, to use your 'writer's eye.' Seeing the stories around you is not the end, however. You must turn what you saw and heard into a story, or perhaps an essay. Acting quickly is key, as memories fade with time. When you see a story, jot down the particulars in a small notebook to help you when you are ready to write.
As an exercise today, keep track of the story possibilities you see and hear all day as you go about your usual activities. Home all day? Maybe something you see on tv will trigger a story thought. Those who are out and about have the opportunity to see many stories.
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